Journal article
Nicotine-induced conditioned place preference in adolescent rats
Pharmacology, biochemistry and behavior, Vol.99(3), pp.519-523
09/2011
Handle:
https://hdl.handle.net/2376/110252
PMID: 21600911
Abstract
A number of clinical reports have noted that women are more vulnerable to tobacco abuse than men, and adolescent females are especially vulnerable to nicotine addiction. Conditioned place preference (CPP) is a widely used technique for determining the rewarding effects of drugs with abuse potential in animal models. Several studies have reported that nicotine was ineffective in eliciting CPP in rats; while others have observed conditioned place aversion (CPA) rather than preference for nicotine. One recent investigation established CPP in adolescent female rats, however at a reasonably high dose; while a second reported dose dependence of nicotine-induced CPP in male but not female rats. The present study was designed to determine the lowest dose necessary to induce CPP to nicotine in adolescent female rats. Nicotine-induced CPP was obtained at a subcutaneous dose of 0.03mg/kg (salt content) using a biased conditioning paradigm. Higher doses produced aversion and lower doses provided no rewarding or aversive effects. CPP persisted for at least 3weeks following conditioning in the absence of further nicotine treatment. In contrast with results from adolescent human females and males, age-matched male rats also evidenced CPP at this very low dose of nicotine. These results indicate that even a low dose of nicotine is reinforcing and addicting in both adolescent male and female rats and brings into question the suggestion that nicotine induces greater addicting capacity in adolescent girls than boys.
► Adolescent female rats revealed nicotine-induced CPP at a low dose of 0.03 mg/kg s.c. ► Same age adolescent male rats also showed nicotine-induced CPP at this same low dose. ► Nicotine-induced CPP lasted for three weeks with no further nicotine treatment. ► Results suggest that adolescent girls may be vulnerable to low levels of nicotine. ► In contrast with reports from human studies adolescent boys may share this sensitivity.
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Details
- Title
- Nicotine-induced conditioned place preference in adolescent rats
- Creators
- Reka Natarajan - Department of Neurosciences, University of Toledo College of Medicine, Toledo, OH 43614, USAJohn W Wright - Department of Veterinary and Comparative Anatomy, Pharmacology, and Physiology, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164-6520, USAJoseph W Harding - Department of Veterinary and Comparative Anatomy, Pharmacology, and Physiology, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164-6520, USA
- Publication Details
- Pharmacology, biochemistry and behavior, Vol.99(3), pp.519-523
- Academic Unit
- Psychology, Department of; Integrative Physiology and Neuroscience, Department of
- Publisher
- Elsevier Inc
- Identifiers
- 99900547782301842
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Journal article